Artistic Differences
By theladyknight
Disclaimer: Digimon and any of the novels mentioned at the end of the chapter—not mine!
Scorpion05: I hope exams went well. I'm on summer break still…thankfully. But I'm waiting to see how I did on some AP tests.
Mew Yukari: I'm leaving it that way for a reason.
KatyRose: You always leave such nice reviews! The whole lawyer thing will play out rather nicely I think. I thought of the whole plot for next chapter while I was out driving a golfcar today. Don't ask. I have no idea how to explain how I'm able to balance everything; the mind works in odd ways apparently!
Windedlove: I'm not telling. Btw, are you planning on updating anytime soon? Please!
Wishinstahhz: Thanks for all the reviews! I left the part—well lots of things regarding Sora's plan ambiguous for a reason. I want you guys to be surprised at what happens, and it was the only way I could think of to do so. Tai's character kind of matures as he goes on. Yes, being a princess is not easy.
Ballet Kitty: There's something wrong with my car, otherwise I really would.
Calare: I really really really have absolutely no idea where some of these ideas come from. Sometimes they just appear out of thin air. The tin cans thing was another. The ideas in this chapter all came after the parties and stuff I went to over the weekend for Independence Day. Cody is very important in this story, along with Ken, Davis, and the others.
And thanks to: brat-always-day-and-night, sorato-takari, animelover930, Kay, Rock-Angewomon, Curtis Zidane Ziraa, MattTobiasMalfoy72, Cloud-821, KoumiLoccness, and Mrs. Ishida-to-you.
Chapter 22: Phase 3, The Final Countdown
"Careful, easy there! Do not drop the marble."
"You there! Trim the bushes!"
"Excuse me; do you know where the bushel of apples is? It got misplaced."
"Has anyone seen Lord Yagami?"
It was a typical day in the Kingdom of Takenouchi. Well, it was as typical as any day got to be in the week leading up to the annual Independence Day celebration. The royal family and their associates were given the task of throwing a magnificent celebration for everyone in the kingdom. The Takenouchis, unlike many other noble families around the world, delighted in this feat.
It was a result of their pure devotion and care for every single person in their kingdom regardless of their stature. The villagers and citizens loved them for it, and the Takenouchis would have it no other way.
But for one…uninvited…visitor—one whom quite a few of the castle goers thought had outlasted his stay—it was a completely foreign concept.
"You do all of this? Why?"
Kari rolled her eyes. I can't believe he feels the need to supervise us. It's not like I'm going to sit here and conspire with the Ishidas, going over the details of Sora's brilliant plan as we attempt to prove that either you or Lord Ichijouji framed Matt. Why would I do something like that? "It's tradition. Besides, this is always our favorite part of the year. Sora and her parents feel like this is their chance to give back to everyone for the things they help with."
"I take it you don't do things like this in Lockton?"
Marcus's eyes flashed over to Mimi's—for one brief second—before they lightened. "Father doesn't agree with that idea. His principles are different than yours."
"But what about you? Oh and Kari, can you grab me the green paint?"
His face masked its true expression quite well as an old women with leprosy walked through the castle's main doors on her way to meet the king. It was another annual ritual; the poor, sick, and weak of the kingdom would visit the king, asking his blessing for their ailments. "It's…marvelous."
Arching his eyebrows a bit, T.K. went back to the task at hand, accepting the paint from his friend. Two weeks were almost up yet preparations for the Independence Day Celebration hadn't finished. Right now, the three Ishidas found themselves—heavily guarded—among the massive amount of servants, all of whom were busy preparing for the celebration.
The artists had, reluctantly, been allowed to help, with Lord Ichijouji being the reluctant party. T.K. couldn't understand the man. He is so moody and seems to hate this festivity. I still think Marcus is responsible for my family's tattered state, but it feels like Lord Ichijouji could be involved. He's been acting really secretive and suspicious as of late.
It was true. The security chief had been pressuring to step up security and continue the manhunt for Matt. "He's a dangerous threat to the safety of your kingdom, sire! Matt Ishida could be plotting an attack against your family for the celebration as we speak!"
"I highly doubt that," King Haruhiko had dryly responded. Lord Ichijouji, to the delight of Sora and her friends, found himself in the royal doghouse. Sora's father had deeply expressed his anger regarding many of the man's recent actions. He had been reprimanded, in front of the entire castle, and King Takenouchi promised to dismiss him from his position should he do anything against what is asked of him.
I hope it happens soon. Focusing his attention back on the task at hand, the blond attempted to finish the last of the stands in the mural his family was in charge of.
Sora's master plan was well underway, but everyone was left in the dark regarding details. No one, with the exception of the redhead princess, knew what was to happen. She claimed to have her reasons for keeping it that way. Had they been thinking about it, the others would realize they could all combine their assignments together to figure out what was going on. But everyone was too busy—and far too concerned—with completing his or her own jobs to worry about the big picture.
Kari silently sighed, collecting all the unused, paint-filled brushes scattered around the Ishidas workplace. Sora instructed the girl to help them out in the morning, bringing Mimi along with her. Then, when the time was right, she would lead the artists to the royal family for the next part of the plan.
It would have been easy. It should have been easy.
But Marcus had to step in.
He tried to make it sound like he was looking out for their own good. He tried to make it seem like he was acting as any chivalrous young man should act. He tried to appear true and genuine. He tried.
But Kari saw through his act.
I need to talk to T.K. His family needs to know what to expect when they reach King Takenouchi's chambers. Sora has this part planned out to the second, and they have to know or else it will ruin the whole plan.
"Hey, T.K."
"Yeah?"
"Can you help me wash out these brushes over the by there stream? I don't think I'll be able to do it by myself. There are far too many of them."
Before the boy could even begin to answer, Marcus cut him off. "I do not think that would be safe, Kari. He could try something."
She tried not to smile. "Come now, Marcus. We are in plain view of everyone who is outside on this beautiful day. You and the guards have the perfect angle to watch us. If T.K. tries anything at all, which I highly doubt he would, you will be able to see me and prevent him from it."
"But I don't…what!"
"Oops," Mimi let out a fake laugh. "I'm sorry, Marcus. I'm just so clumsy today. I need you to help me clean up the paint before it gets on the mural. T.K., Kari, bring back some wet rags! Hurry!"
She's a good actress. Kari smiled at the girl, watching Marcus groan in frustration as the knocked over paint began to run like a rapid flowing river across the grass and footpath. She had to stifle a giggle; Mimi had "accidentally" pushed the can over, and in addition to spilling it on the ground, got it all over the man's tunic.
Somehow—though neither was sure how exactly—Kari and T.K. managed to get away from the mess and conceal their laughter at Mimi's spur of the moment plan. "That's one way to buy us some time."
"I'll say. So I take it you want to talk to me about something," an amused T.K. said, still fighting off the urge to laugh at their friend's antics. She's been hanging around Tai way too much.
Kari got right to business, not wanting to waste the valuable time Mimi had gotten for them. Her eyes darted up to the large clock in the courtyard. "A messenger from the king and queen will be coming to get us in the next quarter of an hour. We, Lord Ichijouji, and Marcus will be meeting with the royal family. King Haruhiko is going to announce the trial and roles everyone is asked to play. He's also going to explain the trial."
She knew she had gained the blonde's complete attention as he missed the paintbrush he was trying to clean up, instead pouring water onto the grass below them. "I'm all ears,"
"Ken, Yolei, and Davis came up with the plot. They did quite a lot of research over the past week and a half, and finally came up with a very foolproof topic."
"What is it?"
"You'll just have to wait until we get into the meeting room to hear it…"
"Thank you all for meeting us here,"
"Why exactly are we here?" an ill-tempered Lord Ichijouji questioned.
King Takenouchi gave him a look, one that very much reminded him that he wasn't on the king's good side, and it would serve him best to keep him mouth sealed. "As you know, my daughter and her friends will be putting on a performance in honor of our Independence Day. This year, they have selected a very compelling historical piece. However, they need out help to put it on."
"How so?" Nancy Ishida asked.
Sora's grin went unnoticed by the lot of the room as she sat idly by her mother's throne. Her father was going by a script three friends had written, improvising when need be.
"They need you to fill in for certain parts of the story.
"What does that entitle?" a very hesitant Marcus asked.
The queen, following her daughter's plan, took over. "The story the youth are reenacting refers to the first trial ever administered in the kingdom of Takenouchi. They have chosen to represent Probatur Quod Pacifico, as it was first called in Latin." (A/N: Hope my Latin's right)
"It means to judge and make peace," the princess provided when she saw the blank looks on people's faces. Apparently—and thankfully—it appears none of them know much Latin. Too bad; I could have made the trial name translate into moldy cheese if I knew that. "The trial was held to settle a murder disagreement: men by the name of Absalom and Aman against a man named Arveragus."
Lord Ichijouji glared at her. "I've lived in this kingdom my entire life, and I never recall being taught this."
"My daughter has spent a great deal of time researching this topic, backing up everything with evidence."
The man huffed, settling back in his chair. "Could you please tell us what happened?"
The king smiled at the chief artist. "As the story goes, there once was a man called Arveragus. Arveragus was known throughout the land as a famous knight, almost legendary for his skills, chivalry, and loyalty. He was married to a beautiful woman by the name of Helen. Arveragus and Helen lived happily together until war in a distant land overseas enlisted the knight. Duty called, and he left his large amount of land under the control of his neighbor and friend Aman. The war drug on for many years and soon everyone but his wife felt that Arveragus was lost at sea. It was then things got messy."
The king paused to take a breath. All eyes were on him. "Aman took total control of the knight's land, becoming a power-hungry leader. Helen did not approve of him—nor had she ever approved. Aman plotted to kill her off. He would have taken her as a mistress, but the story says he already had plenty. Instead, Aman gave Helen away to his equally power-hungry nephew Absalom."
"Around the same time as this was all happening in the Takenouchi Kingdom, war had ended overseas. Arveragus returned, finding his wife and land prisoner. He set out at once to offer a plea to King Theseus, ruler of the kingdom, in order to regain what Aman had stolen. But the scheming Aman got wind of the knight's plan, and he and his nephew staged an attack on the king's son, making it seem like Arveragus was responsible for the prince's death. That led to the trial before King Theseus, ultimately to learn which party was indeed the guilty party."
Silence filed the air. Everyone in the room was on his or her toes, anticipating the conclusion to the almost epic tale. "So?" Mimi couldn't contain her curiosity.
"That," Queen Toshiko smiled, "will be revealed on Independence Day."
"Let me get this straight," Marcus stood up. "You want us to act in this play thing even though we have no idea how it ends?"
Queen Toshiko motioned for him to sit down, which he grudgingly did. "Lord Ichijouji, we ask that you play the role of Aman. Marcus, you have been asked to play Absalom. And we would like T.K. to be Arveragus with Nancy and Malcolm playing the man's family."
"The bad guy? I am asked to play the villain?" Marcus spat.
"You might be or you might not be. The villain, that is." All attention in the room focused back on the Sora. "That's the thing; Father told you the story from the way Arveragus recounted it. Do you really think Aman would call himself power-hungry? A tyrant? There are two sides to this tale—three if you count Absalom's—and the trial will cover each version. The verdict will condemn the guilty party, and everyone will find out who did it. We just felt you would each be best suited for the role given."
Had it been anyone else in the kingdom, Marcus of Lockton would have turned down the offer and spat in their face. But for the princess he lust after, thought about day and night and was ready to ask for her hand, he just couldn't say no. This will put me on her good side.
Yuck, flirting with him makes me want to throw up.
"I will play the role, Princess. Just tell me what I must do."
"Are you in Lord Ichijouji?"
"Not like I have much of a choice," the man grumbled.
"What was that?" King Haruhiko pleasantly asked.
"I'm delighted that you offered me the part, and I humbly accept it. But I highly suggest you find someone other than T.K. Ishida to play Arveragus and not allow his family to play the man's family. The Ishidas pose a threat to public…"
"…safety with hundreds of guards around and right in front of the king," the queen sarcastically replied. "They will be fine. No harm will come from them."
Sensing the security chief was ready to protest, King Haruhiko began to speak again, "You will each answer the questions truthfully as they apply to you. Sora will give you a sheet of paper with the answers you are to give. But some of them will not be on there. For example, if one of the prosecutors asks "Were you in the kitchen at night?" just answer truthfully; don't get concerned about what the paper says. It'll be easier to explain once she hands them out to you."
"I'll go work on copying them onto sheets of paper right now, Father. Thank you all for agreeing. You have no idea how much this helps!" The redhead curtsied politely before darting out the door.
"I think our purpose here has been completed. You all are dismissed,"
One by one people began to stand up. "If you are done with your job, it's time for you to go back to the dungeons. I'll escort you," a scathing Lord Ichijouji stated.
Nancy rolled her eyes, offering a faint smile to the queen. "We'll talk to you soon." Sora's mother promised, following them out the door as well.
"King Haruhiko, may I ask something of you?"
I had a feeling this would be coming soon. Better let him confront me now. "Go ahead, Marcus."
"Sire, over the past few weeks I've been here…it's so hard to describe. Everything about your kingdom is so much different than the past I know. I love it here. I love the way things are different from the pain and suffering associated with Lockton. I want to settle here. I want to start a family here. I want to take a wife here."
When he noticed the king hadn't moved, he recklessly continued on with the much rehearsed speech. "I would like to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage. In this short time that I have known her, I've been stuck by Eros's arrow many a time. Just looking at her beauty far surpasses the images of Venus and the goddesses from all my educational studies. I do not have much to offer Sora, but I know I will love her up until the day I die." And get good use out of her.
His Majesty was quiet, having closed his eyes. His breathing was deep but not erratic. Marcus waited—as patiently as he could—knowing his speech had held the charisma he needed to get the king to say yes to his proposition.
"Many suitors have come to this land, requesting my daughter's hand. I have chosen her future husband from among you, and I am going to announce his identity in front of the entire kingdom at the Celebration. Do you think you can wait until then to find out my answer?"
The brunette gave a long bow, perfected by years of training with his father's royal advisors. "Your decision is just and fair, King Takenouchi. I thank you for listening to my request."
As the boy walked out of the room, the king gave a long sigh. He's a fairly good actor, but I would never under any circumstances offer my daughter to him. I hope Sora's plan works. If I'm to announce that Matt is her betrothed then he'd better be there and have his name cleared…
"Taichi Kamiya!" the boy gulped. It wasn't often someone used his full names. It normally—when it did happen—occurred under one of two circumstances: a) he was being lauded for some sort of achievement, but more often it was b) someone wanted his undivided attention so they could yell at him.
It was, not surprising him one bit, choice b this time.
He smiled sweetly at his fiancé. "Mimi, I wasn't going to do anything."
"Taichi, I know you better than you think. If you touch any of Izzy's inventions, something bad will happen. It always does. You and I both know it."
He slouched back, scrunching his nose up at her verbal beating. No one gives me any credit. They all consider me to be dense and get into trouble. Well, everyone but Marcus. And Sora.
While others doubted his abilities, his closet friend had given him one of the most important jobs regarding the trial. "I trust you, Tai. I know you'll have a few tricks up your sleeve. Marcus won't know what hit him until it's too late!"
It was odd; Tai's job over the past few weeks was to get to know the foreigner and learn everything about him. Tai had come to a major conclusion after his first talk with the boy. Under no circumstances would he and Marcus ever—no matter the situation—be friends, and he wasn't letting the bastard anywhere near Sora. He'll get her over my dead body.
But Marcus seemed to think he could walk all over Tai. He had been impressed with the way Tai approached him, a bit shocked, surprised and confused but overall impressed. No one else in the kingdom had the courage to do that. Over the few weeks they'd actually talked and discussed things. Tai had come to become Marcus's confidant.
And it was working in his favor.
"Oh Tai! Mimi! How are you doing?" a cheerful Izzy asked as they walked past the greenhouse into his main living room.
"We're great, Izzy. We come today with the final plans from Sora. She has a list of questions you'll need to ask Lord Ichijouji and Marcus."
He gave her a meek smile. "Do you guys know who all is going to be involved in the trial?"
"Sora hasn't told us yet," Tai admitted. "She said there are going to be plenty of witnesses to testify and all, but she hasn't let everyone know the plan."
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Mimi mused.
"I don't think it matters how many witnesses we have. It should be easy enough to frame Marcus."
Tai gave him a befuddled look. "Why do you say that?"
"I studied law for a good few years at a prodigious school out west. I learned nearly everything I can." He tried to fight off a smile. "No offense or anything Tai, but you stand no chance of winning an argument against me."
"I can believe you'll be good at this Izzy, but I wouldn't count myself down and out."
"Tai, honey, you know absolutely nothing about the law system."
He gave her a smirk, easily reminiscing over the thoughts he'd had before. "Just because I don't know much about the law system and the way things work doesn't mean I don't know other things that are very viable to the success of the trial in our favor. We'll just have to wait and see who gets the culprit to confess."
Mimi was surprised at Tai's gusto. I've never seen him like this before. Maybe we're underestimating his abilities…nah; it's a case about law. If it was about food or sports or something like that, I'm sure Tai would obliterate Izzy. "I've got an idea." They both turned to face her. "How 'bout we make a bet on the person who can get the culprit to confess?"
This could be interesting. "What are the terms?" the boy genius wondered out loud.
"If I win…" Tai glanced around. He wasn't as close to Izzy as his other friends, most likely because he didn't see the boy on a regular basis. That meant, unfortunately for the brunette, he didn't have any blackmail on the future inventor.
Mimi noticed Tai's eyes wander, and she also began to think. "How about Tai gets an invention of yours or something you have from here?"
"I suppose if it's reasonable," Izzy wasn't really sure he wanted to agree to these terms, but he too knew it was the only way to find something to make the bet work. But what am I supposed to get from him?
It came to him immediately. He didn't want something from Tai, per say. It was just an act he wanted to see the boy complete. Izzy whispered his idea to Mimi. The bushy-haired teen suddenly got a horrible idea it wasn't something he would like after taking one look at his fiancé's face. "Mimi…"
"If Izzy wins, you will cut your hair, Tai, to a length that we designate."
His mouth fell open, staying that way for a good minute and a half. He liked, no, loved his hair. Many people teased him about the length, some—his mother most of all—pleaded with him to trim it, and it always drew people's attention.
But that's why Tai liked it the way it was. He didn't want to be mainstream all the time. His hair stood out, separating him from the way other people were. It set him apart. As much as he didn't want to think about trimming it, it seemed to be the only thing that equaled out to some of Izzy's inventions. And he had a strong feeling Mimi and Izzy would not budge from the idea now that they had thought about it.
"I'll agree as long as I get to pick which of Izzy's inventions or things he's picked up out west that I get to keep."
"Deal," the boy genius agreed instantly. This should be easy, but I have a feeling Tai values his hair too much to go down without a fight. I guess I can't count him out that easily. "Choose your prize."
I'm not going to let him beat me. I can't loose my hair. I've got to find a prize well worth my effort when I beat him. "What's this?"
Izzy appeared by his side out of nowhere, grabbing the item Tai was about to touch. "Please…whatever you do…don't choose this. I've been working really hard on developing it, and it's not done yet. I think I'm onto something big, a gigantic discovery. Besides, if you took it, it wouldn't do anything. It isn't working yet."
"Don't worry; I wasn't planning on it. It's just so…bright. What do you call that color?" He really had never planned on taking it. The object was just such a…unique…color that it sparked his curiosity.
"The man who owns the paint store calls it Pineapple…"
Tai shrugged, moving on down the table where Izzy held many of his inventions. "What are these?" he asked a good five minutes later.
"I got this out when I visited China about two months ago." Izzy picked up the large sack, and Tai peered inside. "They were invented over a thousand…" While the boy rambled on about the origins of the foreign objects, the brunette carefully examined the contents of the rather gigantic sack.
"Izzy, what are these?" he interrupted.
"They don't really have a name. You strike them together and…"
Instantly Tai understood. Grinning like a jack-o-lantern, he picked up the bag. "If I prove who framed the Ishidas, I get everything in there."
His face paled. "I…I…I…don't…think that would be a good idea, Tai."
"Why not?"
You're not the person to be using those. "They're illegal," he admitted.
"You. Bought. Something. Illegal?"
Izzy resisted the urge to laugh at Tai's awestruck face. "I couldn't resist. What with the history behind them and all…they're only illegal in this part of the country. In China they're quite frequently found…"
"Izzy, please just agree to it or not. Tai's making a big risk with giving up his precious hair." Mimi tried to get the two back on track so she and Tai could get back to the castle.
"Alright." I'd better not loose…
Darkness crept over the land faster than anyone could have imagined. It engulfed the area, cloaking every region in its opaque nothingness.
But it was perfect in the eyes of two people.
"Shh…you can't let them hear you."
"Are you sure they're camping out here?"
"I'm positive. I heard them say it the other day,"
Carefully, the two figures shuffled through the black forest, dodging logs and tree stumps, climbing over fallen branches and praying to the gods they wouldn't be caught.
"Up ahead…listen to the voices."
"I see the fire."
"This is the moment we've been waiting for troops. In exactly three days time, the Takenouchi Kingdom will meet its downfall. We will attack when given the signal during their Independence Day Celebration. Do you have the battle plans?"
"Yes, sire!" a brawny knight muttered, stepping forward with a large sheet of parchment.
"That's Thelonius of Lockton," one of the voices mumbled as quietly as he could. His companion nudged him to be quiet as the king began to speak once more.
"One quarter of our troops reside at Mount Carmel. Another quarter at Templeton, Breda, and the rest are here right now, camping out at Maple River. We're two miles south of Roselle at the current time, and half a days walk from the Takenouchi Castle. We march, beginning at sunrise three days from now and will take up our stations surrounding their castle. Word from our source is that the princess and her friends are putting on a fake trial. We will attack near its conclusion, catching everyone off guard. I will be in the audience along with our spies from Dedham and Willey. Any questions?"
"Are we to kill them all?"
A sadistic smirk found the man's face. "Slaughter them! Every last one of them with the exception of the princess and our mole. Leave the king and queen in a pool of their own blood! We will then make our way to the next kingdom, eventually taking over this entire area when the time comes."
"When I get my hands on that scum…"
"Sit down!" his companion harshly pulled the boy back to the ground. "Do you want to be caught?"
"I want to castrate his body piece by piece, and then feed it to the wild boars that live around the area."
"Calm down…"
"Let's toast! To victory!"
"To victory!" his troops echoed, raising their glasses of wine to the sky.
"Come on; that's our cue to leave."
Dragging the older boy out as fast as he can, Cody finally led them back to the main road where it appeared darkness was fighting a losing battle to the moon. "Matt, were you trying to commit suicide back there?"
"I want to be the one responsible for his death. Along with his bastard of a son. They will not triumph, and they will not get Sora."
"All the more reason for you to stay alive. We need to get started on the walk back to the castle. Sora's found you a hiding spot until the trial."
With the servant boy's reasoning finally hitting home, Matt nodded. "Thanks for putting some sense back into me." They began to walk the long, winding path before them, both lost in their thoughts. The blonde's vindictive nature was beginning to fade, but he still held thoughts around the conversation he just heard.
We're one step ahead of you, Thelonius. In three days you'll wish you never set foot in the Takenouchi kingdom, set up my family and me or attempted to get Sora. It's time for the truth to be revealed…
A/N: So? That was probably one of the most fun chapters I've ever written in this story. It was painfully hard to write the myth, and speaking of which, there's some underlying meaning with everything… (Skip way to the bottom if you're not interested in this…)
Significant names and details from the trial story…
Arveragus: From Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales (The Franklin's Tale), Arveragus was a knight married to a woman named Dorigen. They are devoted to each other greatly, but Arveragus must leave to fight in a foreign war. Meanwhile, a young squire name Aurelius declares his love for Dorigen. Dorigen refuses to betray her husband, but tells the man she will return his love if he can complete an almost unbelievable task. To make a long story short, Aurelius enlists the help of a scholar to achieve this feat, accomplishing what she had asked him to. Arveragus returns and because he loves his wife so much, allows her to keep her promise, showing the traits of generosity and nobility. However, in true happily-ever-after form, Aurelius realizes their love is pure and releases her from what she promised.
Helen: An allusion to Helen of Troy, supposedly the most beautiful woman in the world and one of the causes—according to mythology—of the Trojan War.
Aman: Servant/advisor (to some extent) of the biblical King Assuerus—husband of Queen Esther. A cruel man, bent on the destruction of the Jewish people because they would not bow down to the king. His plot was uncovered by Esther and her uncle Mardochai, and they prevented it from happening. Aman, in turn, received the punishment he had intended to put on Mardochai and the other Jews—a one-way trip to the gallows.
Absalom: The third son of Jewish King David, Absalom was known for his good looks but more frequently for his rebellish behavior. Absalom schemed against his father, it is thought, because he was not heir to the throne. He declared himself king, and later was killed in battle against his father's troops but also against his father's wishes. Absalom also refers to the novel Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. Absalom, the son of Reverend Stephen Kumalo, goes into the city of Johannesburg, South Africa to look for missing family members. He never returns, corrupted by the city and later faces death for killing a white man—Absalom is a native South African, discriminated against by the whites.
Theseus: Again, in The Canterbury Tales, Theseus appears in the Knight's Tale. A Duke in charge of Athens, Greece, Theseus is known in this story as the judge in the battle between Thebans (Egyptians) Arcite and Palamon for his sister-in-law Emily's hand in marriage. Deemed a noble man, he was respected by many. Also, in Greek mythology, Theseus was a famous king and known for killing the Minotaur.
Explanation for the Story: I wanted something that would rival the situation Matt and the others find themselves in. If Matt could be there at the trial—which, he will be, just not in the trial, per say—he would play the role as Arveragus. (T.K. and the Ishidas are the next best thing.) Sora would be Helen, the beautiful love of Arveragus. Aman equates with Lord Ichijouji's character. Both are power hungry and, well…you'll find out more about them later. The same goes for Marcus who parallels Absalom. King Takenouchi is Duke Theseus.
Hopefully the story worked out. I spent more time on it than anything, particularly looking for names. Surprisingly, my summer reading list for Advanced Placement Literature and Composition came in handy for The Canterbury Tales, and after reading Cry, the Beloved Country in Advanced Placement Language and Composition this year, remembered the story of Absalom and a comment my teacher made about his name in regards to the Bible.
Well, what did you guys think of the chapter? Sorry if you didn't really want an explanation of everything. I just felt it needed to be there. I'm going to try my absolute hardest to have "Game of Life" up by Sunday, but I don't know if it's possible. I'll get right to work so I can have "Going to the Chapel", the sequel to "To the Highest Bidder" out before July 16th. Hope you guys liked the chapter. And don't forget to review!